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Microsoftjust scored a whopping three-year software-licensing deal that will put Windows 8 into the hands of 75 percent of people who work for the United States Department of Defense.

The DOD employs about 450,000 folks, it says. So more than 330,000 of them will soon be using Microsoft's newest operating system.

Employees will also get access to Microsoft's latest Office software, Office 2013, as well as SharePoint 2013 Enterprise.

This is the first time that three major DOD agencies—the Army, Air Force, and Defense Information Systems Agency— have entered into a single agreement with Microsoft, Redmond says. Insight Public Sector, a Microsoft reseller, got credit for scoring this deal.

Two of the agencies, the Army and the Air Force, have been working with Microsoft to validate that Windows 8 meets their security requirements. That means more than bragging rights for Microsoft. Other enterprises can now expect a sales pitch like this: "If Windows 8 is secure enough for the Department of Defense, it's secure enough for the average enterprise."